Deadpool 2 Filmmaker David Leitch Wants To Direct Marvel's Blade Reboot
David Leitch has his eyes on a very big prize.
Screen Rant reports that Leitch, known for directing the bombastic anti-hero movie Deadpool 2, wants to direct Marvel Studios' Blade reboot, starring Mahershala Ali in the title role.
Chatting with the outlet about his most recent project, the Fast & Furious spin-off film Hobbs & Shaw that launched in theaters on Friday, Leitch revealed that he wants to team up with Marvel for another comic book adaptation — that being Blade.
Not only is Leitch interested in directing the new Blade, announced 21 years after the release of the original that starred Wesley Snipes as the vampire-hunter Eric Brooks, because he's familiar with bringing Marvel characters to life and is a huge fan of Ali, but he's also keen on the project because he was in the original movie. Prior to crafting a career working behind the camera, Leitch performed in front of it as a stuntman. He worked on the 1998 Blade film as a stunt performer during the rave-club-in-a-slaughterhouse scene.
"Mahershala is such a great actor, and I've been fortunate to work with some great actors, and I never go wrong that way. Having him play that role is a big deal and would be really exciting. So, yeah, I would love to have that conversation," said Leitch. "I love Blade. And it's actually one of the first stunt jobs that I was in, the original Wesley Snipes one. I was a stunt performer in that movie. I was in the blood club. You remember that scene? Yes, dancing around in the recycled special effects blood. It was great."
The Blade reboot certainly would be a momentous project for Leitch considering his personal ties to the property. And he's a solid choice for the gig considering that his filmography is seeped in the action genre — credits ranging from his directorial debut John Wick to his 2017 projects No Good Deed and Atomic Blonde to his acting work in Ninja Assassin, The King of Fighters, The Bourne Legacy, and more.
It's still extremely early days for Marvel's Blade refresh, with the studio yet to do anything more (that has been publicly announced, that is) than say that the project is happening and confirm that Oscar-winning actor Ali is taking over the role of Blade from OG star Snipes. Marvel head honcho Kevin Feige has been keeping a lid on any extra Blade details beyond the obvious, neither outright confirming or denying that the reboot film will arrive as part of Phase 5 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Phase 4 will begin in May 2020 with the release of Black Widow, and is scheduled to wrap up with another Taika Waititi-directed romp, Thor: Love and Thunder, in November 2021. The belief at the time of this writing is that Blade might debut in 2022 — with some pegging it for a February 18, May 6, or July 26 launch in that year. If that is the standing plan behind the steel curtain at Marvel, then studio brass (headed up by Feige, of course) has loads of time to test directors and pick the right one. Maybe somewhere down the line, Leitch's wishes can come true and a conversation about him directing the new Blade movie can happen. Until then, it's anyone's game.